Le Piane Boca DOC, 2016

I ALWAYS forget this wine until I am reminded...and, oh...THEN.  This Alto Piemontese wine sits in a class of its own.  Cooler temperatures, rustic tannin, and beguiling fruit send this bottling straight to the cellar for potentially decades of development...or, with a decant, RIGHT to the dinner table tonight with something braised.  In a word, special.

Antonio Galloni 94-96 Points “The 2016 Boca opens with an explosion of heady floral and savory aromatics. Medium in body, tightly wound and classically austere, the 2016 will thrill readers of the estate and its wines. Hints of rose petal, mint, pine and crushed rocks confer energy to a wine of delineation and raciness. This is such a tremendous expression of Nebbiolo. In a word: dazzling."

From our importer: Nowhere else in Italy is a single producer so uniquely, so singularly tied to the fame of a DOC zone. Were it not for a chance encounter with Antonio Cerri’s wines three decades ago, Cristoph Kunzli would not have embarked on his project and in all likelihood, Boca would have drifted into pure history from its stalwart perch in nearly total obscurity. There was hardly any wine being bottled when he arrived. The little that was being produced was mostly in cask as there was no market for it. Thankfully that has all changed. Alto Piemontese wines have become a “thing”, so to say. Le Piane’s Boca has become recognized not only as the Benchmark wine of Alto Piemonte, but as one of the great Nebbiolo based wines of Italy and in doing so has become a beacon of light for the whole zone. Producers are bottling again, doing a better job with their wines, even replanting vineyards. We are no longer the only ones importing from Boca, and folks don’t call me crazy any longer for deciding to import these wines nearly 2 decades ago. Well.... at least not for THAT reason. Boca is mostly Nebbiolo but also includes 15% Vespolina, a variety according to Cristoph, even more finicky than Nebbiolo. He says it would be easier and cheaper to make it from pure Nebbiolo, but is convinced the Vespolina in proper measure, simply makes the wine better.